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Day: May 28, 2010

I’ve decided to give a small comment on Glenn Beck’s disgusting attack on the Obama Family.

First and foremost, Malia Obama is an 11 year old child. She could have heard her dad yelling at members of his administration to “Plug the damn hole…” There are numerous reasons why Malia may have asked her dad that question. None of them would have been from a lack of “education” as Beck implies.

Beck’s moral compass is non-existent. Just last week Beck complained how James Gandolfini of “The Sopranos” fame, was sitting behind Beck and his family at the Cirque du Soleil opening gala and said, “what is Satan doing here?” Beck was outraged that Gandolfini said such a thing in front of his children. Well that did not stop Beck from saying what he did this afternoon about Malia Obama.

Where is his apology to the Obamas and Malia and Sasha? Where is his apology for what he said about Michelle Obama the other day? Beck is a slimy POS racist, in my opinion. I think he does and says these things, ala Limbaugh, just for the masochistic thrill of reactions from people who cannot stand them!

Beck: In discussing how President Obama uses children to shield himself from criticism, I broke my own rule about leaving kids out of political debates. The children of public figures should be left on the sidelines. It was a stupid mistake and I apologize–and as a dad I should have known better.

This apology is incomplete. Beck involved Obama’s children in another attack on the president earlier this week, comments Beck did not address in his apology today.

Further, Beck limited his apology to just “my own rule about leaving kids out of political debates.” But he has repeatedlystated that entire families are off-limits — and he has dragged President Obama’s family into “political debates” several times over the past year. In a sexist attack on the president’s wife just last week, Beck referred to an image on the Drudge Report of Michelle Obama at a White House state dinner for the Mexican president and his wife, stating:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the first lady with her — excuse the expression — but with her breasts all smooshed up.

Beck has also repeatedlybroughtup Obama’s parents on his Fox News and radio shows — specifically in the context of discussing Obama’s politics — and more than a year ago, he made fun of President Obama’s aunt.

Glenn Beck’s apology is incomplete until he apologizes for all the other instances in which he dragged the president’s family into his political attacks.

I’m going to refrain from commenting on this at the moment, for obvious reasons. Maintaining some semblance of objectivity, when reporting on a blog is important to me. I will have a commentary post sometime this week-end.

Earlier this week, rodeo clown Glenn Beck became incensed when he learned that journalist Joe McGuinniss has moved next door to Sarah Palin in Alaska, calling it “harassment.” “Leave peoples’ families alone!” Beck exclaimed, arguing that he said the same thing during the Clinton and Bush administrations. “You don’t go after Chelsea Clinton! You don’t talk about the Bush kids!” he said. Yesterday during his press conference on the Gulf oil spill, President Obama said that his daughter Malia had asked him, “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?” So today, Beck dropped his rule of leaving the families alone and took a shot at 11 year-old Malia. Mockingly replaying the conversation between the President and his daughter, Beck attacked Malia’s intelligence:

BECK: This is such a ridiculous — this is such a ridiculous thing that his daughter– (imitating Malia) Daddy?

GRAY: It’s so stupid.

BECK: How old is his daughter? Like, thirteen?

GRAY: Well, one of thems, I think, thirteen, one’s eleven, or something.

BECK: “Did you plug the hole yet, daddy?” Is that’s their — that’s the level of their education, that they’re coming to — they’re coming to daddy and saying ‘Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?’ ” Plug the hole!

I have some issues with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) politically, but his attempt to show how Goldline is ripping off Beck’s audience is a good thing. He has been relentless in his efforts. Kudos, Rep. Weiner.

Check out the fantastic job that Weiner did with David Asman discussing Goldline. Not only did Weiner demand that he get his points across, he successfully controlled the terms of the debate. The video has obviously been edited but Asman seems to have moved from a “Why have you singled out Goldline” offensive against Weiner to begin asking some real questions about Goldline’s business practices. Whether or not Weiner pushed him into it, I can’t be sure. But we’ll give Asman kudos for doing what Bill O’Reilly would not. Rep. Anthony Weiner is a Top Dog again! Must see video for News Hounds after the jump. Democrats who appear on Fox should take notice as well. (H/T Ben Fishel and Karl Frisch)

It’s not too often that our minds are blown this badly and this early in the day. A Washington Postarticle pointed us to the Republican party’s new forum-based website called America Speaking Out. The site allows users, regardless of political affiliation, to post their own ideas “for a new policy agenda” and vote for others.

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?) the site’s poor moderation has provided for some of the craziest “ideas” we’ve ever seen. Republicans wanted a healthy debate, but instead they’re getting plans for a dinosaur/robot army and requests to reinstate slavery (what?????). We couldn’t help but compile the most ridiculous of the bunch. And we’re lucky we did; looks like moderators have finally caught on and have begun to remove the extremely inane, leaving only the slightly inane.

Huffington Post has a slideshow of some of the comments. They’re sad, funny, ridiculous, idiotic and inexplicable.

Apparently this story has been around since May 21, 2010 when the tragedy happened.

When I first discovered the story a few days ago, I wondered why we had not heard from the right wing media or any news media, outside of the local papers where this occurred?

Could it be that the right wing media knew that once again, the focus would be on them and the scare mongering they have consistently fostered over the census and other issues pertaining to the government?

ERICKSON: This is crazy. What gives the Commerce Department the right to ask me how often I flush my toilet? Or about going to work? I’m not filling out this form. I dare them to try and come throw me in jail. I dare them to. Pull out my wife’s shotgun and see how that little ACS twerp likes being scared at the door. They’re not going on my property. They can’t do that. They don’t have the legal right, and yet they’re trying.

(The video is on the right in the Vodpod section of this blog. Start from the 6:40 mark.)

A routine visit by a U.S. Census Worker on Thursday evening turned deadly when Yuba City police officers shot and killed a woman they said had first threatened the worker with a gun, then later confronted officers with a shotgun.

Sutter County authorities have identified the woman as Victoria Roger-Vasselin, 67, and arrested Lionel Craig Patterson, 51, who was with Roger-Vasselin at the house on Mariner Loop when the shooting happened.

Patterson is being held without bail at the Sutter County jail on suspicion of assault with a firearm on a peace officer, online jail records show.

Department spokeswoman Shawna Pavey said the census worker visited the Mariner Loop house between 7:45 and 8:15 p.m.

Sonny Le, a census regional spokesman, said the worker, a Yuba City resident, showed her badge and introduced herself to a man who answered the door. From inside the house, the worker said she heard a woman saying that they do not want to participate in the census survey.

When the census worker tried to further explain the process, she said she saw a gun pointed at her.

“She was shaken and went to her car,” Le said. The worker called her supervisors, who told her to report the incident to the police, Le said.

Pavey said police received the call shortly after 9 p.m. and officers visited the worker at her home to interview her.

Officers arrived at the Mariner Loop house about 10 p.m. Pavey said a man answered the door with a handgun. Officers successfully persuaded him to give up his gun, but a brief struggle ensued at the entryway when the man resisted arrest, Pavey said.

As an officer was trying to handcuff the man on the ground, the woman came outside with a shotgun. Officers ordered her to put down the gun, but “she ignored the order and continued to advance with the shotgun pointing at the officers,” Pavey said.

Two officers fired. Roger-Vasselin died at the scene, authorities said.

Dylan Ratigan, guest hosted the Young Turks yesterday and spoke about this:

BECK: So soft revolutions start with, “Hey, buddy, we’re so much alike.” Then the threats, if you stand up against them. The other threat that always happens is they say we’ll cut you off from information. We’re not going to give you the information. You’re going to be isolated. You’re going to be a pariah. And whether it’s you or just your news organization — or your organization, whatever it might be that’s standing up against them — they will cut you off on funds, and they will cut you out from everybody else. And then you have a decision to make.

And I think people in the press are at this point now where they are starting to wake up, but unfortunately I think they are making their decisions right now. They are seeing the things. They have to. They are seeing the things that you and I see. They are seeing the things that I have said, and others have said. Tea parties have said. And they are starting to see, “Wait a minute. This is — this isn’t going well.” They see Robert Gibbs going to them and say, “What the hell are you asking so many questions about BP for?” Excuse me? They’re seeing it.

They’re seeing that the White House is issuing their own videos now with the Supreme Court justice nominee, not granting any interviews with her unless you’re friendly.

See, first they tried to do that with me. Then they tried to it with Fox entirely. They said they were going to pull Fox out of the pool. And they said that, “You know, they’re not really even a news organization.” And they recommended to others that they don’t treat them like a news organization. Do you see what’s happening?

That’s the way a soft revolution happens. If somebody starts to turn on them, or they can’t get everyone to silence, that’s when the arrests come, or that’s when they start a hard revolution. That’s when they start just shooting people. I hope we don’t get to that point. I pray that we don’t get to that point, but I never thought this country would get to the point where we are today.

Last week, Columbus, OH Mayor Michael Coleman announced that he was banning city employees from traveling to Arizona on government business because of the state’s new anti-immigration law. “He agrees with those who want to send a message to the state of Arizona that this is not the American way,” Coleman’s spokesman said.

610 WTVN would like to send you where Americans are proud and illegals are scared, sunny Phoenix, Arizona! You’ll spend a weekend chasing aliens and spending cash in the desert, just make sure you have your green card! Win round trip airfare to Phoenix, hotel accommodations, and a few pesos in spending cash — just register below! City employees encouraged to enter.

The ad for the contest on the website (which now says it is expired) features Coleman’s photo on a U.S. “Permanent Resident” card.

Central Ohio community leaders have called on the radio station to apologize for the promotion:

Community members will stand in solidarity and support the immigrant community and tell Columbus and Central Ohio to stand up to racial profiling and the racist remarks inferred by the WTVN 610 promotion.

“This is clearly the chilling effect of what is happening in Arizona with SB 1070”, we believe that our community must respect and protect all people”, commented Leonardo Ramos, President of Colombianos en Ohio.

This isn’t the first right-wing vigilante campaign that Arizona’s immigration law has spawned. A neo-Nazi group recently distributed fliers encouraging people to “Report An Illegal” on Cinco de Mayo. (HT: Raw Story)